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How does Frankenstein anticipate science fiction?

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“The Tyger,” anastatic print by William Blake — Romantic literature English Romantic poet and artist William Blake wrote and illustrated “The Tyger” and other poems in his book *Songs of Innocence and of Experience* (1794).

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) is widely considered a foundational work of science fiction because it departs from the supernatural elements of the traditional Gothic novel in favor of a narrative grounded in scientific plausibility.123

Mary Shelley anticipates the genre through several key innovations:

The Scientist Protagonist: Shelley centers her story on a character who functions as a "scientist"—a term coined shortly after the novel's publication—who uses his knowledge of natural philosophy to achieve his goals.2
Integration of Contemporary Science: Rather than relying on magic, the novel incorporates real scientific interests of the early 19th century, specifically galvanism (the use of electricity to stimulate muscle tissue) and experiments regarding spontaneous vitality.45
Speculative Technology: By framing the creation of life as a result of advanced technological and physiological experimentation, Shelley established a template for exploring the potential consequences of human innovation.2

Ultimately, the novel serves as a critique of unrestrained progress, using the "mad scientist" archetype to explore the ethical implications of humanity's manipulation of nature and the potential for technological advancement to result in unforeseen tragedy.364